Well, the sun came up on Pred Nation today, that event may have been questionable to many Nashville Predator fans yesterday following the news of Ryan Suter’s contract in Minnesota, but the sun did rise, and cooler heads are beginning to surface. Tampa’s signing of Matt Carle before some good speculation could break out eliminated one Plan B… and that is assuming the Predators were interested… we will never get confirmation on that one.

Pundits praise Nashville’s depth on defense, so let’s take a look at the Nashville blueline as it stands right now, we will start with the three veterans…

Shea Weber – He is an RFA right now… obviously getting him signed to a long term contract is THE priority. The situation may be a good one as Weber knows the CBA is about to change and the long term contracts being tossed around may not be there. Weber (more than Suter) is a cornerstone defenseman, one to build your team around. That fact works two different ways for Nashville, sign him long term... or trade him for multiple needed assets. Contract status - RFA with qualified offer… Cap Hit – Not Determined

Hal Gill - With the loss of Suter, the re-signing of Gill became that much more important, having the 6’7” d-man for the next two years as a guide and veteran presence for the younger guys is critical. The fact that his contract is done is a tiny little bit of comfort. Contract status - Signed through ’13 – ’14, UFA at end of contract… Cap Hit - $2,000,000

Kevin Klein - The 27 yr. old came into his own last season, playing a much more consistent game, his game will need to continue on its’ growth curve. Contract status - Signed through this season, UFA at end of contract under existing CBA… Cap Hit - $1,350,000

Now to the youth…

Ryan Ellis - the 21 year old first round draft pick took his lumps in his first year. At times showing signs of brilliance and signs of struggling to keep up physically, the youngster showed fairly well in the 32 games he played in Nashville this past season. His biggest strengths is his ice sense and his quarterbacking of the power play. Nashville will need Ellis to grow up sooner rather than later. Contract status - Signed through ’13-’14, RFA at end of contract under existing CBA… Cap Hit - $1,440,000

Roman Josi - The 2nd round pick in 2008 showed excellent growth last season, playing in 52 games, Josi was a big beneficiary of Gill’s mentorship and will continue. I would not be surprised to see Josi elevated to the top pairing with Shea Weber. Plenty of offensive upside and is nowhere close to his performance ceiling. Contract status - Signed through ’12-’13, RFA at end of contract under existing CBA… Cap Hit - $1,000,000

Jonathon Blum - The 2007 first rounder took a step back last season, only playing in 33 games, generating a -14. The 23 year old native of Long Beach has plenty of upside and this is a critical year for him. Contract status - RFA with Qualified Offer… Cap Hit – Not determined

Waiting in the wings, a few blueliners in the system that may or may not be ready to make the jump…

Mattias Ekholm - The 6’4” Swede got off to a rocky start with the Predators, playing two games and being called out for his poor play by head coach Barry Trotz. He appears to have learned from the experience and has committed to play in North America this season, either in Nashville or Milwaukee. He is a big body that the Predators scouting staff is very high on. Contract status - Signed through ’13 – ’14, RFA at end of contract… Cap Hit - $1,025,000

Charles-Olivier Roussel - Roussel is a versatile defenseman that has talent in every aspect of the position. He did have an up-and-down season, his last as a junior, but finished strong with a good showing in the Memorial Cup. He is a “bubbling under” candidate and will start this season in Milwaukee Contract status Signed through ’13 – ’14, RFA at end of contract… Cap Hit - $886,667

As you can see… the cupboard is not bare, David Poile has said he would like to add another veteran or two to the big team in order to allow some of the younger players to continue their development and ease some of the demands on Weber. Maybe a Carlo Colaiacovo, Michal Rozsival or Pavel Kubina… as you can see, the UFA market for d-men is a little threadbare.

Thank heaven that Cups aren’t won in July…

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ROAD TRIP!!!!!

SlapShot Radio has circled the date... February 9th at the Verizon Center in DC for our next SlapShot Radio Road Trip... we are working out details and will forward as we get them. Keep an eye on the SlapShot Radio page on Facebook for details.

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Random Notes

- Twitter was pretty funny after the signing yesterday but the best one may have been one congratulating Minnesota on getting Nashville’s super hero only “too bad it was Robin and we still have Batman!” Classic…

- Stick tap to Adrian Dater and Adam Proteau for their tweet yesterday quoting the Minnesota Wild owner “We’re not making money, and that’s one reason we need to fix our system.We need to fix how much we’re spending right now" I see… and the response was to blow $196 million on two players… got it.

- Congratulations to former Pred Steve Sullivan for signing a one year deal in Phoenix. That means we will see him at least twice this season in Smashville.

- Now that the SuterWatch and the PariseWatch are done… looks like attention turns to Rick Nash, the question isn’t if, but when he gets traded… Scott Howson has to be licking his lips envisioning a bidding war between Pittsburgh, Detroit, and the New York Rangers.

- The hand wringing in Detroit has begun, a column by Freep columnist Jeff Seidel poses the question… Has Detroit Lost Its Luster as a Free Agent Destination?

- Not only does David Poile has a big hole to fill, so does Lou Lamoriello…

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